New Jersey's Great Gardens: A Four-Season Guide to 125 Public Gardens, Parks, and Arboretums

Book Description

A thorough and wide-ranging guide to the vast array of public gardens, arboretums, woods, and parks in the Garden State. In this practical, informative, illustrated guide, Arline Zatz describes dozens of inviting places to spend an hour, an afternoon, or an entire day. Each garden has been chosen for its uniqueness and beauty, such as Warinanco Park Gardens, with its dazzling show of tulips in spring, and Marquand Park, an arboretum with two hundred different species of trees. There are butterfly gardens, colonial herb gardens at historic sites, memorial gardens, pocket-sized romantic gardens, and gardens for meditation--plus places to picnic, listen to the birds, and awaken the senses. Here you'll find information on the history and plantings of each garden listed, as well as details on how to get there, when to visit for peak bloom and seasonal events, and much more. This guide will be welcomed by garden enthusiasts as well as by anyone seeking excursions in the Garden State. Contains descriptions of over 80 public gardens in the Garden State. A gardener's appendix at the back of the book lists nurseries and garden suppliers throughout the state.

Book Description

According to author Harvey Bialy, the work of molecular biologist Peter Duesberg has been grossly distorted by the media and scientific establishments. Until recently, the scientific community—and most notably, those from the National Institute for Health—have been unwilling to look at his provocative theories of different causes for cancer and HIV/AIDS. Inspired by UC Berkeley's rare creation of an archive for Duesberg's papers, this book explores Duesberg's early groundbreaking work with viruses and oncogenes, his contentious fights with other scientists, and the profound influence of his life's work.

Customer Reviews:

A review of one star reviews .......2007-08-03

Great book. Read it in one go despite the technical vocabulary brain stretching. I've read similar minded books including Lauritsen's which gives a clear picture from the gay world's point of view during the first AIDS outbreak.

What's most important is the reaction of the one star reviews. It's amazing the degree to which they make their scientific arguments entirely out of personal attacks. An example: "If HIV is not an infectious disease why don't [they] take a vial of infected blood and inject it in [their] body?" Of course this could in no way constitute an experiment, whatever the result might be, but it satisfies the true believer by focusing hatred on the perceived enemy.

No one argues that AIDS sufferers have not died, but the HIV=AIDS folks have such a huge emotional attachment to the (as yet unclear) mechanism of the syndrome that they have stopped doing science, or even reason in favor of the championship crying jag. In many of these one star reviews we are beaten down with the reports of (reports of) thousands who have, or will suffer. Regarding each death as a vote for their "side" they heap abuse on the skeptical for not caring as much as they do.

That there are people capable of objectivity in the study of diseases is a great thing. That this objectivity can be strained and tested is the running theme of this book. Reading of famous scientists (famous patent holders) who can't come up with real answers, (in a tough debate situation, maybe, but even months afterwards?), but launch into personal attacks is a warning about who these people are and how their objectivity is holding up.

The parallel to Global Warming is identical. Again, the numbers of scientists belonging to the club rather than the value of any reasoned arguments, is used to beat down the opposition.

Biography of a Flawed Scientist.......2007-04-17

Shame on Harvey Bialy for not telling the entire story of this misguided man. Duesberg has caused many people to stop or not start medications that have been proven countless times to save lives. Who cares about the argument that HIV doesn't cause AIDS. Does HIV do bad things to people's bodies? Yes. (This has been proven thousands of times.) Can HIV treatment, imperfect as it is, help? Yes. (This too has been proven thousands of times.) Where would you find this information out? The same place you would discover information about heart disease and diabetes and other diseases. Just read scientific medical journals, not this bio of a wasted scientific career.

Scientists should look at study results. Scientists should not hold onto one theory from 1993 and not change their minds when the data change. Medical knowledge changed rapidly. Peter H. Duesberg has not changed his mind as most of us witnessed the world of HIV dramatically change from one where a great percentage of those infected with HIV died to one where the disease could be managed. So many lives have changed as a result of these developments in HIV care and treatment.

I personally know a few people who bought into the Duesberg theory of HIV medicine and did not take medications. Guess what. They died. People like Harvey Bialy who write biographies of flawed men share the responsibility for these people's deaths.

Flawed, but interesting.......2006-10-07

First, this reviewer is a dyed-in-the-wool contrarian with no background in medicine.

The book's main subjects are AIDS and the role of aneuploidy in oncogenesis. Its arguments are deeply flawed, but still very much worth reading.

The current consensus on AIDS may be summed up as follows:
1) AIDS is an infectious disease, deadly if untreated.
2) The HIV virus causes AIDS.

The book argues that both 1) and 2) are false. As far as 1) is concerned, the book's argument amounts to little more than handwaving. As for 2), the book may have a point, although the alternative explanations provided, such as recreational drug use, are as vague as they are unconvincing and scientifically untestable.

Systematic omission seems to be an essential tool of the author's argument. Just to give an example, the spread of AIDS among hemophiliacs is barely mentioned. The AIDS epidemics among hemophiliacs in countries that did not tempestively adopt blood-screening for HIV is ignored.

As for HIV causing AIDS, the story is somewhat different. Duesberg's critique may have played a role in pinpointing unwarranted hidden assumptions and flaws in the mainstream arguments. The HIV virus appears to be a very special one, its dynamics is still unclear and, since "in vivo" experimentation is problematic, no direct proof that it causes AIDS appears to be available, although circumstantial evidence is there.

The book's chapters about aneuploidy effectively, albeit unwittingly, exemplify the role that explanations (i.e. rethorical models) play in scientific research. It also suggests that neither Duesberg, nor anyone else has a scientifically testable and convincing model for oncogenesis.

The author laments the unfairness of mainstream scientists and provides a wealth of vivid and even entertaining examples. On the other hand, Duesberg and Bialy are hardly champions of civilised debate, resorting to double standards (e.g. concerning Koch's postulate), obfuscation and "ad hominem" attacks.

The book paints a vivid picture of the inner workings of medical research and it raises important issues, a.o. about the role of the media and about the practical implementation of the scientific paradigm. The critical scrutiny it invokes may be fruitfilly applied to its arguments as well as to those it targets.

Stimulating and Thought Provoking.......2006-07-26

I was impressed. I invite you to read this fascinating book and decide for yourself whether Duesberg has a point or two. I took time from a busy schedule to see quickly how the saga would end, and came away enlightened by a rich body of information about issues of profound significance that cry out for resolution. The message is quite serious, but the presentation is buoyed by abundant humor and wit - a pleasure to read. This is one of those books that will inspire unending conversations with friends and colleagues. Rarely have I been as moved by a book as by this very scientific biography."

Gerald H. Pollack - Professor, Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle

Mr. Bialy's opus. Science fiction at its worst........2006-07-20

Mr. Bialy's journeyman's prose never fails to bore. He creates a parallel universe in which the modern-day plague of AIDS is a fiction created by greedy and ambitious scientists, politicians, activists, Pharma executivies, and other assorted henchmen.

Against this backdrop of evil, we are given a Christ figure, played by a scientist at a California university who would save the world from the great lie that is AIDS. Oddly, Mr. Bialy's descriptions of our hero smacks of a schoolgirl crush. Would that we had learned whether this curious realtionship was ever consummated.

Mr. Bialy takes a halfway good science fiction story idea (what if HIV were harmless??) and beats it to death with excrutiating, ham-handed detail.

Life is too short for this kind of drivel. Shame on me for wasting several hours of my life on this nonsense. Shame on YOU if you repeat my mistake.

Natural Obsessions: The Search for the Oncogene

Average customer rating:

Can't wait to buy the sequel...

Natural Obsessions: The Search for the Oncogene
Natalie Angier
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395453704

Customer Reviews:

Can't wait to buy the sequel..........2000-01-28

Ms. Angier has responded brilliantly to the criticism of Mike Wigler (one of the scientists featured in the book) and refrained from writing "a textbook". She has instead taken us into the world of hardcore biomedical research to see the people behind the scenes as they race to unlock the secrets of nature. Focusing on the events and people in the Weinberg lab at MIT during the early days of the discovery of cellular oncogenes, the book leads us to share with them the excitement of discovery as well as the pain of defeat, for mother nature is often a rather cagey opponent. This book is an invaluable tool to budding biomedical scientists in appreciating the lives and work of their predecessors, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's ever been bored by their biology textbooks.

Natural Obsessions : Striving to Unlock the Deepest Secrets of the Cancer Cell

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The book to understand the values and culture of biological research...
A book of enormous impact
In depth, but not a bore.

Natural Obsessions : Striving to Unlock the Deepest Secrets of the Cancer Cell
Natalie Angier
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0395924723

Book Description

As dramatic as The Double Hex and as absorbing as The Soul of a New Machine, Natural Obsessions explores the advanced reaches of molecular biology, the nature of the human cell, and the genes that control cancer. It unforgettably portrays some of the best young scientists in the world, the rewards and discouragements of scientific research, and the very process of scientific inquiry.

Customer Reviews:

The book to understand the values and culture of biological research..........2005-10-29

I have revisited this title recently as I strive to get IT professionals to "cross the chasm" to understand not only biology, but the culture and values of biologists and research in order to better do bioinformatics. I have never found a book that does this as well as Natural Obsessions, although I have a built-in bias - I was an undergraduate at MIT and a denizen of the Sharp lab on the fifth floor of the Cancer Center, next to the Weinberg lab, just shortly before Natalie arrived to experience life in the Weinberg group. I had the privilege of knowing most of the MIT people in the book, especially Mike Gilman, all of whom have gone on to distinguished research careers. Natalie's description of these folks is largely highly accurate, although it was hard on them after publication of the book in the 80's.

I highly recommend this book, not just for its lucid description of molecular oncology for laypeople, but for anyone who wants to know what it's like to be a biologist doing cutting-edge research - without investing 6, 7, or more years of their lives to earn a Ph.D. I wish Natalie would do a sequel - it would also be interesting to see "life in the lab" not just from the grad student and postdoc perspective, but from these same folks, who are now largely tenured faculty or VPs in biotech.

John Greene, Ph.D.

A book of enormous impact.......2002-11-03

In my senior year of college, we were assigned Natural Obsessions for the relevance to oncology as a science. I had expected, as with all other undergraduate literature, to find only academic value in the book and approached it as such. But what unfolded instead was a journey through the strange and passionate world of research. It is what made me want to become an oncologist.

The nature of the story is of the many races during the 1980s to identify the genes causative of cancer. The narrative largely follows one lab, that of Robert Weinberg at MIT, and details their many setbacks and their even more groundbreaking victories. The author takes an active part, effectively becoming absorbed into the research and drawing the readers with her.

What the book offers, then, is a daily tread through the lives of basic researchers: not filled with sterile labs and stuffy professors, but with the drama, intrigue, and bittersweet triumphs normally found only in fiction. As there are no outright heroes or villains (except perhaps cancer itself), the moral ambiguity of each of the subplots makes the struggles more human. There is as much backstabbing, cut-throat competitiveness, and outright selfishness in the research world shown here as in any other professional field. But there is also collaboration, celebration, and respect. Anyone who thinks basic science is boring should be convinced otherwise.

The other side of the story is, indeed, academic in nature, though interwoven seamlessly with the stories. Despite the heavy scientific concepts throughout the book, Natalie Angier -- a non-scientistist herself -- has taken great pains to evince the most convoluted theories in a light, colorful language. Not all of it will be clear immediately, but the essence of the book doesn't require total familiarity with the technicalities. It is the humanity of the researchers that drives this book, not the research itself.

For undergraduates unsure of thier career choices, I can recommend no better book than Natural Obsessions for deciding if scientific research is for them. For some, like one of my friends who chose med school over grad school, the themes of competitiveness and failure can be disheartening. For others, like myself, it can open up a new perspective on science, one that can be exciting as well as rewarding if you have a passion for it.

In depth, but not a bore........2001-03-06

This book covers all the in-depth information a person could want to know about cancer, while at the same time not burying the reading in technical jargon and biological confusion. I enjoyed reading this book for the information presented, but also the method in which it was conveyed. A must buy for anyone interested in this terrible disease.

Introduction to the Molecular Genetics of Cancer (Molecular Medical Science Series)

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Introduction to the Molecular Genetics of Cancer (Molecular Medical Science Series)

Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Series Editors Keith James, University of Edinburgh Medical School, UK. Alan Morris, University of Warwick, UK This series is designed to bridge the gap between pure research in the biomedical sciences and its practical application in clinical medicine. The objective is to promote the understanding of the molecular basis of human physiology and disease, and new techniques for diagnosis and treatment. Primarily intended for graduate students of medicine, the books will also be of use to molecular biologists, biochemists, physiologists, pharmacologists and biotechnologists, as well as medical practitioners and technicians who seek to update their knowledge. Introduction to the Molecular Genetics of Cancer Edited by Richard G. Vile Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, UK There are increasingly hopeful indications that definition of the molecular defects within cancer cells may soon lead to improved therapeutic regimens for the patient. This book discusses the roles both of the dominantly acting cellular oncogenes and of the `recessive' tumour suppressor genes as well as the importance of viral oncogenes in the genesis of human cancers. In addition, it highlights the potential to exploit the fine detail differences between the aberrant growth characteristics of the cancer cell and its normal counterpart which may lead to therapeutic advances in the treatment of cancer. It also aims to generate a more general perspective on the genetic contributions to carcinogenesis as an integrated disease process. Thus, it will be of value to researchers, clinicians, and students of cell and molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry who want a portal to the vast literature on the molecular mechanisms of cancer.

Genes And The Biology Of Cancer (Scientific American Library)

Average customer rating:

Excelent, deserves to be updated and reprinted

Genes And The Biology Of Cancer (Scientific American Library)
H. Varmus
Manufacturer: VHPS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0716750376

Customer Reviews:

Excelent, deserves to be updated and reprinted.......2004-04-11

An excelent short biology book on cancer, written by two of the worlds leading experts. There are very few up-to-date books on the biology of cancer. Even though a dacade old, this is the best place to start if you find a copy. Readers with a little knowledge of biology will appreciate it more. This book is not necessarily an "easy read". The authors introduction addresses "The motivated but non-expert reader." The photos and illustrations are appreciated.

A lot of information is packed into about 200 pages. Covers such topics as oncogenes, tumor supressor genes, growth factors, transmembrane receptors, signaling pathways, etc. Gives some historic background and describes some of the methods of research used. Gives an over-all picture of the multi-step model of cancer's origins. Does not cover medical/clinical aspects of cancer.

Book Description

The study of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes continues to be a fast-moving area of science. This authoritative text provides a conceptual framework which allows students and professionals to understand this complex field. It also serves as a comprehensive reference for scientists engaged in oncogene research. The second edition of this text details major advances and developments in the field, such as the identification of many new tumor suppressor genes and the striking progress in understanding signal transduction pathways leading to cell proliferation. Oncogenes, Second Edition, addresses the needs of advanced undergraduates, graduate students, medical students, physicians, and scientists by examining the current state of oncogene study and where future research may lead.

Customer Reviews:

Great primer for the discovery of oncogene structur and function........2007-09-24

I've read the first edition. This is a wonderful intorduction to the molecular basis of oncogene structure and function. At this time (2007) the 1995 edition may be a bit dated but still if you really want to clearly understand how oncogenes were discovered, this is a great book to do it with. Highly recommended.

Well Written and Very Informative book on Oncogenes.......2001-06-15

This text is fairly comprehensive and gives a very detailed description of the pathogenesis of oncogenes in human disease states. A great book for those in graduate degree programs (PhD, MD, MA).

Expression Profiling of Human Tumors: Diagnostic and Research Applications

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Expression Profiling of Human Tumors: Diagnostic and Research Applications
Marc Landanyi
Manufacturer: Humana Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588291227

Book Description

A comprehensive review of the use of global gene expression profiling to understand human tumors. The authors focus on the analysis of human tissue samples for a variety of cancers, including breast, colorectal, lung, renal, ovarian, bone, and brain tumors, among others. A primer on the technology and its novel analytical methods. Contains over 40 color images. Explains both the theory and practice of comprehensive gene expression profiling. Timely and topical, Expression Profiling of Human Tumors: Diagnostic and Research Applications offers every oncologist, pathologists, and cancer surgeons an essential introduction to the most promising new high-throughput investigative approaches in molecular biology-technology that is already dramatically reshaping the future of cancer research, diagnostic pathology, and clinical oncology.

Molecular Biology Of Oncogenes And Cell Control Mechanisms (ELLIS HORWOOD SERIES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY)

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Molecular Biology Of Oncogenes And Cell Control Mechanisms (ELLIS HORWOOD SERIES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY)
PETER,ED. PARKER
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Advances in Viral Oncology: Analysis of Multistep Scenarios in the Natural History of Human or Animal Cancer (Advances in viral oncology)

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Advances in Viral Oncology: Analysis of Multistep Scenarios in the Natural History of Human or Animal Cancer (Advances in viral oncology)

Manufacturer: Raven Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Oncogene Studies
KLEIN
Manufacturer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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